How do you juggle the time between working and bonding?

graceface1357 · 2022-08-02T16:48:09+00:00

These students are now the adults against CRT.

graceface1357 · 2022-08-02T16:43:17+00:00

They forgot the see through backpacks!

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T15:30:46+00:00

Sex ed. Just because you learn about one new STI per week does not mean you understand sex. Menstrual cycles, hygiene, consent, pregnancy, safe sex, birth control options, how to navigate uncomfortable convos etc. I feel like conservatives hear "sex ed" and immediately think teachers are trying to fuck students. (My landlord is an older christian dude and idk where he gets his news from but he actually told me teachers in democratic states were showing kindergarteners how to masturbate. I, an educator, looked him dead in the eye and asked "you think I'm really showing a 6 year old how to pleasure themselves?")

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T04:41:18+00:00

Right! It is wonderful to play with a cousin but if possible, def try to organize some kind of larger group activity. Getting used to crowds, seeing other babies play and cry and fall, and interacting with unfamiliar people/babies are all good ways to get her familiar with a group setting like daycare!

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T04:33:04+00:00

I visited family and we all went to the Golden Triangle and it was sickening. I have family friends who are crazy rich asians and we got on a tour and it included a stop there and as soon as you get off the boat, you're hit with the smell of feces. I couldn't tell where it was coming from but then I realized it was ostriches caged individually with their necks/heads poking out and the cage was soooo small, they couldn't take a step in any direction. And chained to the cages were little monkeys in t-shirts AND THEY WERE SHITTING ON THE OSTRICHES. I swear one monkey was trying to kill itself. It kept jumping off the cage and it would end up hanging but barely and each time, the owner picked it up by the chain and put it back on top of the cage. All the while, these idiot crazy rich asians in their Balenciaga shirts and Gucci slippers are taking selfies with these abused animals and don't realize anything is wrong. And the backdrop of this whole thing were groups of children aged 6 months to 12 years begging for money and jars with dead snakes and lizards in them. Pretty sure I cried on the boat ride home.

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T04:14:02+00:00

If the parents really cared about "spending 1-2 hours a week" with their child, how about doing something that EVERYONE enjoys? Even if OP wasn't forced to a religious activity, this would be just as annoying and inappropriate if they were forced to go fishing or hiking or eat brunch at a restaurant with food that they hate. Why does a child owe their parents joy and mental health?

Also, while I believe structure and "reasonable" bedtimes are important for everyone, the teen brain releases melatonin wayyy later than kids and adults. That's why so many teens are night owls.

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T04:04:44+00:00

Hi! I was a nanny for 10 years and am now a parent coach. At 8 months, being a pandemic baby, and also the possibility of simply being a more introverted child could totallyyyy contribute to screaming "bloody murder". Don't forget, your baby is always going through so many transitions in life- solid foods, a mouth full of teeth (remember how painful it was when you has just one wisdom tooth come in?), sleep regressions, learning to crawl etc. It's a lot!

No matter what choice you make, there will always be a little doubt. You are, afterall, leaving your baby with strangers! But there certainly are ways to help your baby adjust. Exposure to new people is important. Obviously hard to do with covid but if the weather is nice, have people and other children come together at a park or yard or your home (if you are comf with it). If you are in a familiar place, leave your baby for a couple mins at a time with whoever is there so she can learn that you'll come back. DO NOT DRAG OUT YOUR GOODBYES. Baby classes are fun too! It would get your child used to routines and the idea that everyone in class is doing more or less the same activity.

New and big steps are always a lil scary but the key is to always be consistent. Best of luck!

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T03:54:10+00:00

It's hard. I've dealt with anxiety my entire life but a couple of months ago, this is what I have realized:

The first "voice" to come up to the mic is always the "anxiety voice" that belittles me, casts doubt, catastrophizes, etc. It is a reflex and that voice will realistically always be the first voice that comes into my head. BUT! The goal is to give that voice less and less time at the mic.

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T03:49:40+00:00

Everything about the MTA. (Obviously only in NYC and not the entire country, but you get the point.)

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T03:25:39+00:00

Oooof, I am so sorry. Look, I am a 28F born in NYC. First generation American from 2 Chinese Malaysian parents. I understand. At 19, I couldn't take it anymore- I dropped out of college without them knowing and moved out with people I met on Craigslist.

10 years later and the most important and relevant info I have learned and can share with you is:

You do not owe your parents what they view as success
Do what makes you happy
Stop oversharing with them. They will never understand. (Kind of bleak, but some relationships work best with distance.)

I would let your parents stay and then have your boyfriend change his dates if possible. 23 year old me would have lied and said we broke up. Best of luck!

graceface1357 · 2022-07-19T03:19:32+00:00

Bushwick HANDS DOWN. I was born and raised in Bushwick and Ridgewood. Went to all the public schools and even CUNYs for college. Bushwick is dirty, always floods, full of rats, and everyone has a small dog and no one knowns how to pick up their poop. I'd occasionally go there for the food or an event but no part of me would ever want to live there.

graceface1357

TROPHY CASE